A field manual of camel diseases

Traditional and modern veterinary care for the dromedary

Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, Paul Mundy and Evelyn Mathias, 2001

The one-humped camel, or dromedary, is one of the world’s hardiest
domesticated animals. A vital source of transport, meat, milk and income
for pastoralists in the Sahel, East Africa, the Middle East and South
Asia, the camel can carry heavy loads for days in some of the world’s
most hostile conditions. But even camels fall ill.

A Field Manual of Camel Diseases is the first practical guide to
camel diseases designed for use in low technology environments. The manual
details some 80 major camel diseases and conditions, ranging from
abortions to wry neck syndrome. For each disease, the authors give the
disease signs, its causes, and simple prevention and treatment methods.
Both scientific and tried and tested traditional treatments are presented,
thus enabling the veterinarian or livestock practitioner to make the most
appropriate choice in the prevailing circumstances. A section on
procedures explains how to examine a camel, take samples for laboratory
analysis and apply various types of medicines.

Care for your camels

Did you know that the camel is the most efficient domesticated animal for
converting fodder into work, transport, milk and meat?

Veterinary services are rare in camel-herding areas (which include the Sahel
and East Africa), warn the authors of this practical guide to caring for the
single-humped camel, the dromedary. The manual is not intended to replace such
services, but to ease communication and cooperation between the pastoralist, the
vet and other specialists, in part by preventive care and early diagnosis.
Ninety ailments are described, according to symptom and the affected part of the
body, in a clear and concise style, making much use of common, local and
scientific terms.

The basis of the book is an intensive ‘Write-In’ session of twenty
practitioners from Africa, and West and South Asia who came together at a
writing workshop in 1997, to pool and produce texts and drawings. Their
knowledge will radiate far with this splendid guide.

Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, Paul Mundy and Evelyn Mathias.
2001. A field manual of camel diseases: Traditional and modern veterinary care for the dromedary. Published by
ITDG Publishing and the League for Pastoral Peoples. 246 x 177 mm,
254 pages. ISBN: 185339503X.